How to Determine Integration Bounds for Flux Calculation?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around determining the integration bounds for calculating the flux of a vector field across a specified surface in the first octant. The surface is defined by the plane equation 3x+y+z=4, and the vector field is given as F=4i+2j+3k.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss various methods for setting up the surface integral and finding the limits of integration. There are attempts to project the surface onto the x-y plane to identify the triangular region for integration. Questions arise regarding the notation and variables used in the integration process.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants exploring different interpretations of the problem and questioning the assumptions made in the setup. Some guidance on projecting the surface to find integration limits has been provided, but there is no explicit consensus on the approach to take.

Contextual Notes

Participants note potential confusion regarding the variables used in the integration and the need to clarify the definitions of P, Q, and R in the context of the problem. There is also mention of the area of the triangle formed by the projection onto the x-y plane, which may influence the final calculation.

UrbanXrisis
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Let S be the part of the plane 3x+y+z=4 which lies in the first octant, oriented upward. Find the flux of the vector field F=4i+2j+3k across the surface S.

[tex]\int \int F\cdot dS = \int int \left( -P \frac{\partial g}{\partial x} -Q \frac{\partial g}{\partial y} +R \right) dA[/tex]

[tex]\int \int \left( -4(-3)-2(-1)+4-3x-y \right) dA[/tex]
[tex]\int \int \left( 18-3x-y \right) dA[/tex]

how do I find the ends of integration?
 
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UrbanXrisis, I really don't understand what you did.

What I would have done is
[tex]\int \int F\cdot dS = \int \int \left(F\cdot \hat{n}\right) \left(\frac{dxdy}{\hat{n}\cdot\hat{k}}\right)[/tex]

where, [itex]\hat{n}[/itex] is the unit normal to the plane. That is, to evaluate the surface integral, I'm simply projecting the surface to the x-y plane and integrating.

Now to find the ends of integration, just project the surface to the x-y plane. In this case, you will get a triangle. From that, you can find the limits of integration
 
UrbanXrisis said:
Let S be the part of the plane 3x+y+z=4 which lies in the first octant, oriented upward. Find the flux of the vector field F=4i+2j+3k across the surface S.

[tex]\int \int F\cdot dS = \int int \left( -P \frac{\partial g}{\partial x} -Q \frac{\partial g}{\partial y} +R \right) dA[/tex][\quote]
? There were no "P", "Q", "R" in the problem! If you MEAN 3x+ y+ z= 4 so P= 3, y= 1, z= 1 then say that!

[tex]\int \int \left( -4(-3)-2(-1)+4-3x-y \right) dA[/tex]
[tex]\int \int \left( 18-3x-y \right) dA[/tex]
Again mystifying! Assuming you are doing the integration by projecting down into the xy- plane, then [itex]d\sigma^{/rightarrow}= (3i+ j+ k)dxdy so the integrand is (4i+ 2j+ 3k) . (3i+ j+ k) dxdy= 17dxdy<br /> <br /> <blockquote data-attributes="" data-quote="" data-source="" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> how do I find the ends of integration? </div> </div> </blockquote> The limits of integration? Projecting the plane, 3x+y+z=4, into the xy-plane gives 3x+ y+ 0= 4 or y= 4- 3x. When y= 0, x= 4/3 so you would integrate with respect to y from 0 to 4- 3x and then with respect to x from 0 to 4/3.<br /> <br /> However, the integral of '17 dA' is just 17A, or 17 times the area of that triangle. What is the area of a triangle with base 4/3 and height 4?[/itex]
 
I have a similar question to this, with F = 7xi+yj+zk and plane z + 4x + 2y = 12. so what I did was (7xi+ yj+ zk) . (4i+ 2j+ k), is this correct?
 
anyone?
 

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